By Ian Whittell | Special to ESPN.com

NEW YORK -- One win -- against a dispirited, disinterested, disjointed opponent -- was all it took for Isiah Thomas to be talking playoffs this weekend.

Yes, playoffs.

No matter that Saturday night's 94-86 victory over the New Jersey Nets ended a five-game losing skid and left the Knicks at 7-16, better only than the Miami Heat in the entire Eastern Conference.

That win was enough for Thomas, who has been accused by more than one observer this season of being so divorced from reality that he functions in an alternative universe, to see the postseason in his team's future.

"There's a lot of time left in the season," said the beleaguered coach. "We've only played 25 percent of the season.

"I've been around a long time. Teams catch fire, you run off four or five games in a row and, before you know it, you're back in the thick of things. Fortunately for us, right now, a lot of teams are trying to find themselves in the East. We're one of them.

"The teams that find their way and come out of this will be the teams we're talking about in April. I hope we're one of them. We definitely have the talent. It's about all of us getting on the right page and trying to do the right things every time."

Of all Thomas' strange pronouncements in this car wreck of a season, that may rank the strangest yet.

It cannot have failed to escape his attention that, in the closing seconds of an unexpectedly comfortable win over the Nets, that pockets of Knicks fans still chanted what has become a European soccer-like theme tune for them this season: "Fi-re I-si-ah!"

"We know eventually we are going to be a good team but our record doesn't show that right now," Knicks guard Jamal Crawford said of the crowd response. "We feel we have the pieces to make it work.

"So this is just building character for where we're going. I know [the fans] have been patient so it's hard to say 'Hang in there.' We've got to win them over by getting results, that's how you do it, be the way you play."

I usually don't knock on the guy but damn those quotes sound just like Nixluva.

Posted by Solace:

Posted by nyk4ever:

I usually don't knock on the guy but damn those quotes sound just like Nixluva.

Isiah Thomas? Nixluva? Batman? All the same guy?

What is wrong with the flying mouse?

I wish interviews were banned from this team. They upset me so much!!

Posted by djsunyc:

knicks can make the playoffs this year b/c the east is absolute doo doo.

No, they can't and they won't...thanfully.

Posted by djsunyc:

knicks can make the playoffs this year b/c the east is absolute doo doo.

Nope they don't have a shot no matter what the standings say.

Posted by GKFv2:

They have a shot and the sad thing is if they make it Isiah will be here for a LONG time. Mediocrity(or less than that) passes as success around these parts. Even lame blind fans will celebrate a 35-38 win team making the playoffs and getting swept out as some sort of achievement because of our poor start to the season. With the current state of the franchise, unless this team automatically plays with intensity, passion, and plays defense every game, making the playoffs would be the worst thing that could happen.

1999 was the beginning of this mentality. Fans saw that team make a run to the finals and they think that making the playoffs is all you have to do. That the rest is luck. They fail to realize two things:

1.) The 1999 team never should have been an 8th seed. We were talented enough to be a 1 or 2.
2.) The 1999 team no matter how great the run was, had no chance of beating the Spurs. They were far better than us. It was fun to watch but it helped to create this "all we have to do is get there mentality". The mentality that you don't have to be the best. Just be okay and let luck take over.

its all true- we have the talent and if they put it together, we can make the play offs.

but I could be a millionaire tomorrow if I buy a winning lotto ticket.

i'm planning on going to work. ans to watching this team skid to 28 wins- at best!

There's no way unless Isiah is fired that this team makes the playoffs. I don't care if everyone in the league is playing poorly the Knicks will surely find a way to mess up any chance for a post season berth.